


Hello, Goldilocks

by Annalas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Pie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 17:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3617793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annalas/pseuds/Annalas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the midst of a case, Castiel searches for the perfect pie for Dean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hello, Goldilocks

It was an undisputed fact that Dean loved pie. It had taken Castiel quite a while to pick up on this fact, given its apparent rarity in the lives of the Winchesters. Nonetheless, he had finally been let in on the secret to bribing Dean: pie. This, naturally, brought about many other questions. What kind of pie did Dean like? Did it matter if the pie was apple or blueberry or blackberry? Did he like mincemeat pie, chicken pot pie, or potato and cheese pie? What were his views on cobbler?

There were other, more important, things to worry about than pie. There were always going to be more important things to worry about than pie, to be honest. If Castiel focused on all of the problems he should be focusing on, then he would surely never have the proper time to focus on Dean's taste in pie. For now, though, Dean was asleep on the couch, a book lying open on his chest. Small snores erupted from his with the rise and fall of his chest. Sam was across the room, pouring through an old manuscript. Castiel thought about pie. 

He had been in London during the 1800s, met a wonderful baker named Mrs. Lovett. She had sold meat pies on Fleet Street. Did Dean like meat pies? Castiel supposed there was only one way to find out. 

"Sam," he suddenly broke the silence. The younger Winchester looked up at him, eyes bleary with the need for sleep. Castiel suddenly doubted he would get much sense out of Sam. 

"Where can I get pie?" Sam squinted at the clock on the microwave before looking back at Castiel with a confused gaze. 

"At two in the morning?" Sam asked incredulously. "Dude, you don't even eat."

Castiel waited, wondering if more information would be forthcoming from Sam. It apparently wasn't. The angel stood up, flexing his invisible wings.

"Maybe a gas station," Sam mumbled, somewhat to himself. "Grocery store, if you can find one open."

Then Castiel was gone. He moved quickly, searching the rural town for an open grocery store. No such luck. The diner was closed, too. He landed in front of a gas station and walked in. The attendant looked up at him as Castiel came to the front counter.

"I would like some pie," he stated. The gas station clerk blinked at him. 

"Like, from here?" the clerk wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Dude, trust me. You do not want pie from here."

"But I need pie. And you have it," Castiel reasoned. The clerk shook his head.

"That pie got put in the case over a month ago. Trust me, you do not want that pie. Wait six hours, go to Wal-Mart...trust me, it's a lot better. Those pies taste like shit and honestly...you don't want to know what's in them." 

Castiel stared at the gas station clerk. Finally, the clerk sighed and pulled a piece of blueberry pie out of the case. It said it was blueberry, anyway. It looked like a chunk of black gel surrounded by beige crust. It certainly didn't look appetizing at all. The clerk took his money and gave him change. Castiel walked out of the gas station before disappearing into the night. 

Once he had returned to the hotel room, he set the pie on the small table next to Dean and sat back to watch the results. At least, that was his intention. Sam, as usual, ignored him. It was an unwritten rule that while they were officially 'friends', Castiel had a much more profound bond with Dean. 

"You seriously got pie," Sam said after a while. "Cass...you are ridiculous, you know that?"

"Why?" Castiel questioned, looking up at Sam. The younger Winchester shook his head. 

"If you don't know already, I'm not explaining it to you," Sam sighed. "You know anything about this symbol? You've just been...sitting there. Not helping."

Castiel rose from his chair and went over to glance at the symbol. It was Persian, from the Ottoman Empire. He wasn't overly familiar with the language, nor with this particular symbol. The book Sam was looking through was maybe of what appeared to be elephant skin, the parchment made of vellum. The sides were decorated with various jungle animals, from elephants to jaguars to monkeys.

"It's Persian," he added helpfully before returning to his chair. Sam huffed and closed the book he had been looking through.

"Thought it was Enochian," he mumbled. 

Hours passed, and finally Dean woke up. Castiel quickly averted his eyes, knowing that Dean, for whatever reason, had an issue with Castiel watching over him. Castiel was an angel, for Christ's sake; it was his job to watch over Dean. 

"Cass, I know you were watching me," Dean griped, shoving the book off his chest and making his way to the bathroom. It was only when he came out again that he noticed the pie sitting on the table.

"Dude, who got pie?" he asked, his voice growing excited. 

"Your best friend," Sam said dryly. Dean didn't bother with thanks. He found a plastic fork and immediately dug into the misshapen lump. His joy lasted a mere moment. The instant the pie passed his lips, his eyes bulged and he gagged.

"Oh, this is not pie," he choked. "Where did you get this, some off-brand gas station?"

Dean shoved the pie away, the disappointment on his face palatable. Apparently the pie had been, as the gas station attendant had warned, inedible. Castiel frowned, leaving before Dean could bother to address him. He had to find pie for Dean, and it had to be perfect. 

This time, he didn't bother stopping at a gas station to get pie. He didn't want to break into a grocery store or the diner to get pie, either. This pie had to be free, and it more certainly could not be dry. He decided to try a meat pie, instead of a fruit one. 

He winged over to Fleet Street in London, wondering if Mrs. Lovett--or at least her descendants--were still in business. Alas, the store appeared to be as abandoned as the barber shop above it. Given that it was mid-morning in London, though, he found another shop that sole meat pies rather easily. The one he picked out was piping hot and full of haggis. The baker assured him that it was a specialty, and that anyone would love his pies. Castiel took him at his word and flew back to the motel room. 

"So we're talking about a karkadann?" Dean was saying as Castiel arrived.

"Yeah, I think so..." Sam trailed off, giving the angel as perplexed look. "Dude, what is it with you and pies today?"

"Pie?" Dean echoed, his eyes going to the parcel in Castiel's hands. "Shut up, Sammy. I'm not complaining about pie."

He didn't bother to mention Dean's reaction to the previous pie he had gotten him. It was in the past, and any hurt feelings would soon be remedied by this much more delightful pie. Castiel set the pie down on the table, trying to figure out an appropriate answer to Dean's question. He was sure that an 'I wanted to' wouldn't cut it, though it was the truth.

"I want to be more help," Castiel replied with a minute shrug. Dean clapped him on the shoulder briefly. 

"You're help enough, Cass," he said. "Dude, thanks for the pie."

Castiel nodded and went over to observe what Sam had found out about the karkadann. They were rare enough that he hadn't heard much of them. A bare moment passed before Dean spoke again, his voice choked. 

"Cass, what kind of pie is this?" The disgust was evident in his voice. 

"Haggis," he replied, already knowing from Dean's tone that he wasn't a fan. So Dean didn't like blueberry pie, and he didn't like haggis pie. What kind of pie did he like? Castiel needed to figure this out. It would likely be helpful in the future. 

"Isn't that...?" Sam began. He stopped, smirking over at Dean. "Dude, I can't believe you're eating that."

Dean shook his head and pushed the pie away. 

"Sorry, Cass, I just can't--" But Cass was already gone. 

The blueberry was too dry, the haggis was...well, haggis. Maybe Dean was only lying about pie. He was certainly much pickier than Castiel had expected. He had flown to London for the last pie, after all. 

Castiel ended up on a bench in the park, watching the sun rise. He sighed, wondering how he could possibly get pie that Dean truly loved. He didn't look at his own motives too clearly; Dean wanted pie, and Castiel wanted Dean to have...well, at least a moment of happiness in these dark times. It was truly as simple as that. 

Castiel wandered around the small town all day, watching the humans do their various jobs. It was obvious that they were preparing for a celebration; flags were being hung along main street. Streets were blocked off and traffic redirected. Booths were set up along the street as children ran around, screaming in happiness. Ah, a street fair, then.

A scent caught his nose as he walked down the street. It was full of cinnamon and sugar and apples. It was absolutely lovely, and though he did not need to eat, his vessel craved whatever made that delicious scent. To his surprise, his nose led him to a small diner, nearly hidden in the shadows of the buildings on either side of it. Through the window, he saw the waitress place a still-steaming apple pie in the display case. Bingo. 

He flew back to Dean, making papers fly with his speed as he came to a sudden halt behind the brothers. Who knew how long a pie that smelled that delicious would last? 

"Dean," he said, getting their attention. "I need you to come with me."

"Can it wait?" Dean asked. "We're kinda in the middle of something here..."

"Absolutely not," Castiel replied with a straight face. 

"Just go," Sam waved him off. "You know how he gets when you don't humor him."

Castiel frowned at Sam for the comment. Sometimes, he felt like neither of the Winchesters truly appreciated everything he did for them. Telling Sam the symbol was Persian to get him on the right track, getting pie for Dean twice now, even flying to London to do so...and yet, here he was, about to take Dean to the best pie in the world...hopefully, at least.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean sighed, turning to Castiel. "What's going on, Cass?"

Castiel didn't bother to answer; he simply flew them both to the street in front of the diner.

"Dammit, Cass!" Dean groaned, pulling away and brushing himself off. "We talked about this! A little warning, please!"

"I'm sorry, Dean," he apologized. "This is important."

"What's so import--" Dean began, his voice cutting off as he sniffed the air. "Is...is that...? Did you bring me here for pie?"

"Apple pie," Castiel replied solemnly. 

"You just..." Dean sighed and gave up trying to understand Castiel. "You know we're in the middle of a hunt, right?" 

Regardless, he walked towards the diner, Castiel following him. The angel allowed the smaller of smiles on his face. Despite Dean's protests, he knew that Dean didn't mind that they were in the middle of a hunt. Pie would most likely always come before a hunt. That was, of course, as long as no one was getting murdered. 

"So Sam was saying that this thing is generally found near water," Dean began as they walked into the diner. "Apparently the sound of ringing doves puts it to sleep, which is pretty much the only way you can get near it. After that, stab it in the heart, then cut off its horn."

"It has a horn," Castiel replied skeptically. "So shouldn't it be easy to find?"

"You'd think," Dean agreed. They both took a seat in opposite sides of the booth. Castiel sat back, processing this information. He didn't have every answer, and Persian mythological creatures were certainly not in his repertoire. 

"What is a karkadann doing here?" he mused aloud. The waitress came over to take their order. The blue elephant on her shirt caught Castiel's eye as Dean ordered a piece of pie. Dean waited for her to leave before he answered. 

"Beats me. Sounds like they're mostly extinct...maybe it got tired of being hunted overseas and came to America?" Dean shrugged. 

"Perhaps, maybe--" Before Castiel could offer his own thoughts, however, a ruckus came from the back. The sound of shattering plates and shrieks filtered through. Dean was instantly on edge, and within a few seconds, he had risen and grabbed his gun. Castiel followed his friend as they stormed to the back.

They were greeted by a catastrophic mess. The island was overturned, dishes full of food smashed on the floor. The waitress cowered behind an overturned cart, her face white with terror. In the middle of the disaster was a creature unlike anything Castiel had every seen. It appeared to be a rhino, but with the horn of a unicorn and the tail of a lion. It was jet black and puffing angrily. 

"That would be our karkadann," Dean stated the obvious, readying himself for a fight. 

"Here?" Castiel said, stunned by his luck. The one place he had managed to find a pie that he was positive Dean would like, and he had apparently helped with his case, as well. There was no time to grab Sam, though; he had apparently just signed up to be Dean's backup for this case. Sam was going to be pissed for missing this.

"Apparently," Dean spat. He grabbed a large knife from where it had fallen on the floor. The perks of fighting in a kitchen was that there were plenty of blades to go around. Castiel reached into his coat and brought out his angel blade; it would hurt the creature as well as demons and angels.

The creature stomped, its breath puffing from its nostrils as it targeted the waitress again. It was clearly about to rush her. Castiel grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her out of the way as the creature lowered its horn and charged. 

"What does it want?" Dean murmured, more to himself than Castiel. The girl whimpered, putting the angel between her and the creature. 

The creature stopped mid-charge, looking around for the girl. Not seeing her, it turned and began to trot sedately out the back door of the diner. Dean blinked, lowering the knife in confusion. Whatever this creature wanted, it apparently had only a beef with the girl. 

"What the hell," Dean started, shaking his head. He pulled the phone out of his coat to call his brother. 

"Are you okay?" Castiel asked the young lady. She nodded, looking frightfully between them and the back door. 

"I thought it wanted to kill me," she gushed, her eyes wide in fear. "That...that...what was that thing?"

"A karkadann," Castiel replied, beginning to explain what he knew of it. After a moment, though, he could see that his words weren't exactly getting through to the girl. Dean put a hand on his arm. 

"It's uh...an exotic animal," Dean cut him off. "Very illegal to have here." He quickly flashed his FBI badge at her. "I don't suppose you know where it came from?"

And so the questioning began. Castiel quickly became annoyed as the case overtook Dean's opportunity to enjoy the pie. It was probably going to be sold out by the time he was finished interrogating her. The girl wasn't particularly helpful, either, though she pointed them towards an eccentric man living on the edge of town. Dean got a piece of the pie to go.

Castiel flew them back to the hotel room, where the pie went onto the table, forgotten as Sam and Dean continued the case. His annoyance with the two grew; while he understood why they felt it was important to go after the creature now, he also really wanted Dean to try the pie. How else was he going to figure out what kind of pie Dean liked?

"They apparently hate elephants," Sam informed them. "Apparently they have a strong compulsion to kill any elephant that crosses their path."

"The lady with the elephant figurines," Dean realized aloud. 

"Exactly. I looked up that place you mentioned on the edge of town, too. Guy has a permit for exotic animals, and get this...he filed a permit for both a lion and a rhino last month. Sound familiar?" Sam said, showing them on the computer. 

"That's it," Dean nodded. "Let's go get this guy."

"I'll stay here," Castiel offered, earning surprised looks from both of them.

"You sure?" Dean asked, his eyes boring into the angel. He nodded. "Okay. Come on, Sammy."

He let out a sigh after they left, picking up the piece of pie and turning it over in his hands. What if Dean didn't like this pie? It had smelled so amazing at the diner, but now it was just another piece of pastry in a shell of plastic. Without thinking, Castiel winged back to the diner, invisibly finding the waitress. She was still wearing the elephant shirt. 

He watched her for a while as she waited on customers. It was something he found himself doing often, people-watching. It hadn't escaped his notice that humans had a tendency to skim over the truth, or act in ways that remained illogical to the situation. He was still getting ahold of figurative meanings, though he was much better than he had been a year ago. 

After a suitable amount of time stalking the waitress, he flew to the farm that Sam and Dean were 'visiting'. There, he found one dead human, several animal corpses, and evidence that Sam and Dean had dragged the karkadann off for some sort of burial. He had apparently missed all of the fighting, which was fine with him. He went back to the hotel to await the return of the brothers. 

It was dark by the time Sam and Dean came back, the Impala's engine giving away their arrival. Cas had tidied up the room, attempting to be helpful in his own way. He had also gone back to the diner and bought a whole pecan pie for Dean, just in case the apple pie didn't pan out. Third time was definitely the charm. 

"It's done," Sam announced, immediately heading for the shower. Dean grabbed a beer and popped it open before collapsing on the couch. 

"Fucker was heavy," he breathed, taking a deep swig. Castiel waited for him to elaborate, but he did not. "Is that more pie?"

Castiel nodded. Dean shook his head, chuckling a bit. Castiel didn't see what was so funny. 

"You know," Dean started, getting up to grab a fork and the piece of apple pie. "I think you're the only one who's ever gone to so much trouble to get me a damn piece of pie. Fuck, this is amazing."

Castiel smiled wryly, then. It appeared that his efforts had not gone unnoticed, after all. And Dean apparently liked apple pie. He had a feeling that this was a very good thing to know. It was the little things that made life worth living. There were so many bad things out there that the small pleasures often went unnoticed. Whether or not the Winchesters got a break, Castiel could at least make sure that Dean got his pie. 

Fin.


End file.
